Chapter 43

All eyes in the room had been fixed on Wu Peng, but the moment Chu Tianhe’s slap landed, the once lively banquet hall fell abruptly silent.

Conversations died mid-sentence as every guest stared wide-eyed at Chu Tianhe. Who could have imagined that someone would dare to strike Wu Peng in this place? It was as if the man had thrown caution—and his life—to the wind.

“Who the hell is that guy?”

“He slapped Young Master Wu? Does he have a death wish?”

“I’ve seen reckless people before, but never someone quite this desperate!”

After a brief hush, the guests erupted into whispered discussions. Even Qin Xiaomeng was stunned, rooted to the spot by Chu Tianhe’s sudden action.

“Brother-in-law, what are you doing?”

She was all too aware of where they were and who Wu Peng was. Striking Wu Peng here could only spell disaster.

“What’s going on here!”

Sensing the tension, Director Liu and Wu Tianhao strode over, both wearing stormy expressions. Their gazes settled sharply on Chu Tianhe.

“Dad, that bastard—he actually hit me!” Wu Peng clutched his face, struggling to his feet, his eyes blazing with fury as he glared at Chu Tianhe, his gaze flickering briefly to Qin Xiaomeng.

“Uncle Liu, you have to stand up for me!” he pleaded.

Wu Tianhao, always the composed one, gave Chu Tianhe a once-over and demanded coldly, “Sir, what grudge could there be between you and my son that you’d lay hands on him in front of everyone like this?”

“If you want to know about grudges, ask him!” Chu Tianhe replied, frowning as he shot a glance at Wu Peng, now hiding behind his father. Then, with a chill in his voice, he said, “Even without a grudge, if I want to slap him, he’ll just have to take it.”

A collective gasp swept through the hall as his words set off a storm of murmurs.

Arrogant, unbelievably so! Even the once-mighty Li family of Jiangzhou would never have dared say such a thing.

“Young man, arrogance has its time and place—and depends on whom you’re dealing with,” Wu Tianhao snapped, his anger finally breaking through his composure. “You realize what consequences your audacity will bring here?”

As Wu Tianhao’s words fell, every gaze turned to Director Liu.

This charity gala had been organized by Director Liu himself, with the Wu family merely hosting. Chu Tianhe’s slap had landed not only on Wu Peng’s face, but also on the faces of Director Liu and Wu Tianhao.

Director Liu’s expression turned thunderous. This gala had been in the works for half a year under the supervision of the Security Bureau. Now, with such a disruption, his reputation was at stake.

“Do you have an invitation?” Director Liu demanded, his voice icy.

“No,” Chu Tianhe replied bluntly.

At such a prestigious event, invitations weren’t handed to just anyone. Wu Peng had only given one to Qin Xiaomeng; Chu Tianhe had none.

“He crashed the banquet without an invitation and hit someone—where the hell did this idiot come from?”

“I’ve truly seen it all now. Never thought I’d witness something like this in my lifetime!”